Page 63 of TJ Powar Has Something to Prove

Her words sound half-hearted even to her. Charlie arches a brow.

“I think that’s the most diplomatic thing you’ve ever said.” She scowls, but he goes on. “I’ve known Amy a long time, and in my experience, her main motivation is usually to pad her own résumé.”

TJ nods slowly. Amydoesseem obsessed with the campaign’s success.

“Just... be careful with her. That’s all I’m saying.” His phone buzzes on the floor next to him. He flips it over and stares at the caller ID.

“What is it?” TJ asks.

“It—it—it’s nothing.” He flips it back over. She reaches across the aisle and takes it before he can stop her. Andrew Yen. It takes her a second to place the name. From Provincials. The banquet.

“Isn’t this your comedian for polio night? Shouldn’t you pick up?”

“No.”

That one word is crisp, deliberate. She waits for him to explain. But he doesn’t, just eyes the buzzing phone in her hand like it’s a grenade.

“Why not?” she asks.

He swallows, but again, nothing.

“Charlie?” she prods, and he looks back at her. His lips part as if to speak, but nothing comes out. His expression clouds over. And she realizes then that it’s not that hewon’ttalk to her, but that he can’t. He’s blocking.

TJ immediately pushes his phone back. It’s stopped buzzing. “Never mind. Um... what were you saying about the War Measures Act, again?” Awkwardly, she reaches for the book he’d been reading, but then Charlie speaks.

“That night at the Provincials banquet, I—I—I never actually got around to asking him to be a speaker.”

TJ immediately drops the book. “What? Why not?”

He hesitates. “Remember how—how Jenna Turner messed with you before your debate?” TJ nods grimly. “Well, Isaac doesthe same thing. I avoided him the whole tournament, but he—he—he showed up just before the banquet.”

“What’d he say?”

He shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter.”

There’s a pang in TJ’s chest. She hadn’t shared Jenna’s words with him, either. Because they hurt too much.

He goes on. “Point is, he’s good at bringing out my stutter. And I’ve never been great on the phone—I try to avoid it, if I can. So w-w-w-when I got that call right after, I got anxious, and I couldn’ttalksuddenly. I was just stuttering. Worse than I have in a long time. He said—he said he thought our reception was breaking up.” Charlie laughs hollowly. “Hung up on me.”

Her heart sinks. No wonder he didn’t come back to the banquet. “Charlie, that sucks.”

He shrugs. “The problem is, we still don’t have a speaker for the event. He keeps calling me, but I just can’t. I keep thinking about how I’ll ruin it again.”

TJ stays silent. She doesn’t know what the answer is—she can’t guarantee he won’t stutter again, or that the guy he’s talking to won’t hang up. But she can tell this is important.

“Then let me talk to him,” she says finally.

He blinks. “What?”

“Come on, how hard could it be? I’ll pretend to be the council secretary or something.”

Now he looks on the verge of a smile. “You? A secretary?”

TJ narrows her eyes. “Why not?” He gives her a look, and yeah, he’s right. She’d probably throw her laptop at someone halfway through taking meeting minutes.

“I guess you’ll have to choose,” she says, holding his gaze.“Who’ll bomb this call more, me pretending to be on council or you having a stutter?”

After a second, Charlie starts dialing.